New Home for Three Years

I have arrived at my new home for the next three years:  St. Ann's Girls Senior High School. In Damongo, Ghana.

Msgr. Augustine "Gus'" picked  us, Karen and I, up from the Tamale airport. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Archbishop's home ( Diocese of Tamale ).  As we made our way through Tamale, we stopped to meet and visit a  number of priests.

The trip between Tamale and Damongo by vehicle, in our case an extended cab pick-up, loaded to the brim with 7 suitcases,  took about 2 hours.  We passed a few small villages along the road, where we saw mud huts, many goats, sheep and cattle.  

There were giant ant hills, some over 10 feet tall. 

Women and children carrying large bowls filled with various foods on their heads - often times using no hands!  

I just couldn't resist stopping the vehicle to buy some plantain chips and chin-chin (cookie-like snack) to take home to munch on.  We saw many people pumping water from village wells, and then carrying heavy buckets of water to their homes.

We were fortunate to stay in an air conditioned room in the Diocese of Damongo guest house the first three days and were served food and drinks from their very popular restaurant.  We met many more priests and the Archbishop Emeritus of Tamale there.  I have not yet met the Bishop of Damongo, Bishop Peter Paul as he is currently in Europe on business.

Damongo is in the dry season now, so most everything is dry and dusty and very hot and sunny.  Mid to high 90’s is typical.  The locals say the heat is just beginning - that March and April are the really hot months. My very large sun hat is coming in extremely handy.

Saturday, we took a trip in to town to visit the big, weekly market.  It was amazing to experience.   We walked around, seeing many types of food, from fruits, vegetables, dry beans, yams, and a myriad of spices.  There were booths selling colorful, bright patterned materials.  There were people selling second-hand shoes, clothes and children’s toys.  There were people selling foods they were cooking right there in the market. I even tasted some "local" (home-made) beer,that tasted similar to apple cider/cider vinegar.

Sunday we attended Mass at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish, as Msgr.  Gus was celebrating the Mass there.  We met some religious sisters there and a number of parishioners. The people I have met are very kind.     They had both a young adult choir and a tribal choir singing throughout the Mass.   You could see the joy in the young adults as they sang, their bodies swaying to the beat of the music, large smiles beaming from their faces.  Mass lasted 2 1/4 hours, but it did not seem like it; the time flew by. 

Sunday evening   we toured the new Cathedral, which took 10 years to  build.  They started using the Cathedral in 2016.  It can hold 1,000 people.  Even though it is nothing like my home U.S. parish, the Cathedral of Saint Paul, it is beautiful in its own right. I will be attending Mass at the Cathedral this coming Sunday.

Monday, the big day arrived; we moved in to our new home for the next three years.
Karen and I are sharing an apartment in a four-plex within the compound of St. Ann's Girls Senior High School.  The compound is about 2-3 miles outside town, down a dirt road, full of bumps and ruts and dust.  One needs to drive slowly.  Looks like I won't be walking in to town for safety reasons, as it is a bit desolate. I will have to find a different way to get my exercise. Thankfully the compound is walled and gated, so I feel safe. 

The apartment is very nice.  It has a large courtyard, a kitchen with new stove/oven and new refrigerator.  There is a dining/living room combo, two bedrooms, a shower, and a toilet.  The bedrooms and living room have ceiling fans, but not the kitchen. Off the living room is a nice porch to relax in. We have running water, yet there are a few plumbing issues we need to work around - nothing we can't handle.

I am writing this blog as I lay in bed, my first night in my new home.  I feel blessed, excited, a bit wound up, yet at peace.   

Please keep me in your prayers.

The adventure continues.......

Three Flights Away

I just received some exciting news! I will be leaving for my mission in Ghana on January 23^rd. After three plane rides and a couple hour car ride, I will land in Damongo, Ghana.  It has suddenly all become very real.

I will spend the next month packing all the essentials: water purifier, solar shower, mosquito net, solar lamps/chargers, light cotton clothing, etc., and completing my last immunizations.

The most difficult task will be saying good-bye to my family and friends who mean so very much to me, most especially my two sons, my daughter and granddaughters.

I feel the LMH formation program has prepared me well to take on this adventure.  Please keep me in your prayers and stay tuned....

Called to Mission

I am Diane Yonga, a parishioner from the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.  I will be serving as a Lay Mission Helper (LMH) missioner, in the Diocese of Damongo, Ghana, teaching Nutrition classes to students at St. Ann’s High School, an all-girl’s Catholic high school in Damongo.

One evening in October 2017, as I was in bed praying, God spoke to my heart and told me clearly “now is the time”.  God has called me to do overseas mission work – a seed planted in high school when I was enamored by thoughts of joining the Peace Corp.  These many years later, I am excited to encounter Christ in the people of Ghana!  I hope you enjoy following my adventures via this blog.